Hisham Mayet is coming to Willimantic Records to show two of his films followed by a Q&A session with the audience. DJ Robert Jaz will also be present to share gems from the Sublime Frequencies audio vault. Admission is free, with donations to the filmmaker encouraged and appreciated.

The Divine River: Ceremonial Pageantry In The Sahel

Condensed from 40 hours of footage shot between 2007 and 2012, The Divine River is an exhilarating, hallucinatory, harrowing record of music, ritual, life and landscape along the Niger River—which the Tuareg call Egerew n-Igerewen, or "River of Rivers"— as it winds through Mali and the Republic of Niger.

Traversing 300 miles of this transitional zone between the Sahara and the Savanna, The Divine River is not a linear record of a journey so much as a phantasmagoria of visual associations that create their own emotional topography and chronology, always accompanied by music that blurs the lines between sacred and secular, past and present.

Highlights include intimate views of ecstatic dance in the painted houses of the island-dwelling Wogo; the seductive courtship rites and trance vocals of young Wodaabe men; a mesmeric Tuareg and Zarma duet for guitar and molo; Hausa griots enchanting with comsaa strings; Zarma spirit possession ceremonies; and heart-stopping footage of the Dogon mask ritual atop the Bandiagara Escarpment in the village of Endele.

Vodoun Gods on the Slave Coast

Hisham Mayet's exploration of West African possession ceremonies continues in Benin. Benin is the cradle and birthplace of Voodoo. Formally known as the Slave Coast as, most of the slave industry was exported from its shores. Voodoo worship is integral to the every day lives of the people of Benin. This film, shot in 2010 during the country's rich Vodoun celebrations, is an impressionistic lens on the myriad ceremonies that this rich and diverse culture has to offer. Showcasing intimate observations of a variety of Voodoo ceremonies: The cult of Sakpata (god of Pestilence and healing), Egoun dramas shrouded in magisterial costumes and the Secret Police of the Zangbeto night watchmen, among other highlights.

Hisham Mayet is a founding member of the Sublime Frequencies Collective. His work with the label has been prolific and inspired. He is responsible for introducing now legendary guitar bands from the Sahara to worldwide audiences; Group Doueh, Group Inerane, and Group Bombino. His many films for the label have been redefining the nature of ethnographic film and they continue to provoke, amaze and inspire.

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES is a collective of explorers dedicated to acquiring and exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers via film and video, field recordings, radio and short wave transmissions, international folk and pop music, sound anomalies, and other forms of human and natural expression not documented sufficiently through all channels of academic research, the modern recording industry, media, or corporate foundations. SUBLIME FREQUENCIES is focused on an aesthetic of extra-geography and soulful experience inspired by music and culture, world travel, research, and the pioneering recording labels of the past including OCORA, SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS, ETHNIC FOLKWAYS, LYRICHORD, NONESUCH EXPLORER, MUSICAPHONE, BARONREITER, UNESCO, PLAYASOUND, MUSICAL ATLAS, CHANT DU MONDE, B.A.M., TANGENT, and TOPIC. SUBLIME FREQUENCIES PO BOX 17971 SEATTLE WA 98127 USA

Willimantic Records

744 Main Street

Willimantic, CT 06226 USA

(entrance and parking are in the back of the building on Riverside Drive, near the railroad tracks)

Friday, February 15th at 7pm:Night of the Rabbit (Nick from Greyglitch, Jeff from the long running WECS World & Indie Rock Radio show), and Chad & Roxanne from the Vulturetown Press. Lots of folks may remember Nick & Chad from their old band The Chuck Hestons): http://youtu.be/8qz7XPPvVzg

The Sawtelles ("Sparse but intricately arranged pop that is as lush as it is threadbare makes what is played as important as what isn’t."): http://thesawtelles.com/?page_id=2

Feb. 16th is the rescheduled date for the Willimantic Chocolate Festival, when many downtown Willimantic businesses will hand out chocolate to all who visit. The Willimantic Food Co-op's 33rd birthday party has also been rescheduled to 2/16/13. It runs from 11am to 5pm and features 33 birthday cakes and live music all day. After the Co-op's shindig winds down, why not walk over to Willimantic Records for more music.

All shows are free and all-ages. Donations to the bands are graciously accepted.

Here is the latest on the 366th day in
business celebration tomorrow: Willimantic Records will be open from
12pm to 6pm on Sunday, Feb 10th, please come down and enjoy delicious
snacks from the Sabertooth Vegan Bakery
(located in Boston & Willimantic), all vinyl records will be 10%
off (used & new), and the first 10 customers to make a purchase of
at least $25 will receive a Willimantic Records shopping
bag (hand made of 100% cotton and silkscreened by Vulturetown Press).
No live music is planned. All of the musicians originally scheduled for
tomorrow will be rescheduled over the next month or so. Check the
calendar at www.willimanticrecords.com for updates on live music and other events in the shop.

If you are walking around Willimantic today (Saturday), the record
store is open 11am to 6pm. Just please don't drive here until tomorrow.
Thanks.